The Japan Property Management Association announced Friday it has made a DVD designed to help foreigners learn the ins and outs of renting housing in Japan.
Recognizing that the language barrier often complicates the task of finding housing, the association has also printed guidebooks in several languages.
The six-language DVD is yet another effort to help foreigners avoid trouble in their search for housing and in getting along with neighbors, the association said.
The DVD explains basic steps, such as how to set up utilities, where to dispose of garbage and how to negotiate the minefield of Japan's unwritten social codes.
"Providing comfortable rental housing has significant meaning in society. As we will keep communicating and working with foreigners, we are sure this DVD will help," association Vice Chairman Noriaki Shiomi said.
The association plans to prepare about 2,000 copies of the DVD and begin distributing it from September.
